New World Heritage Site a Haven for African Wildlife

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A massive swath of lush forest that straddles the borders of
three African nations and is home to crowds of elephants,
gorillas, chimpanzees and other wildlife has been declared a
World Heritage Site.

The 9,700-square-mile (25,000-square-kilometer) site, known as
the Sangha Tri-National Protected Area, or TNS, covers territory
in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Cameroon and the Central
African Republic.

The announcement of the designation came during the annual
meeting of the United Nations World Heritage Committee, held in
St. Petersburg, Russia, this year.

The site is the first to span three countries, and stitches
together previously established national parks.

The protected area encompasses one of the most pristine regions
of equatorial Africa. The park is home to tropical forests,
wetlands and natural clearings — known as "bais" — that draw
enormous gatherings of some of the region's most iconic animals.

Elephant crowds of more than 100 strong congregate in the bais,
alongside forest buffalo and giant forest hogs.

Some of the bais attract huge groups of gorillas, while others
attract flurries of parrots.

The heart of the TNS is an area nearly 3,000 square miles (7,700
square km) across, which follows the course of the Sangha River,
a tributary of
the far larger Congo River.

Surrounding the core of the park is a vast buffer zone, home to
groups of indigenous peoples, and regions where some controlled
logging is permitted.

Conservation groups have lauded the designation.

"The TNS is the wild heart of the Congo Basin Rainforest. It
contains some of the last great populations of African forest
elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees,
and other endangered species," James Deutsch, the Wildlife
Conservation Society's director of Africa Programs, said in a
statement.

"As everywhere in Central Africa, this global treasure is under
threat from unsustainable resource extraction, including the
illegal ivory trade, and we hope that the TNS's listing will
re-energize global efforts to save it," Deutsch said.